#I for one have been doing nonstop nut november

[bbybaku]

hear me out, what if we got a part two to the no nut november with shiggy bc i really am wanting to hear how you’d play out the ending. maybe even having two alt endings…maybe

you are smart.

this is the ending i had planned (rough dom shig)

here is an alt ending. (soft dom shig)

warnings: long intro, sumt, teasing, degrading, slight mentions of blood, dom shig, sub reader, marking eachother up, spanking, rough sex, choking 

2.7 k words

(to clarify no nut november is when men dont nut for the entire month, destroy dick december is when men masturbate for whatever the date is. so if its the third they would have to nut three times that day.)

Day 19. you had been satisfied and your boyfriend relaxed a bit but he was still on edge. 

Shigaraki kept away for a few days, he would get busy with work or go to bed early or just play videogames nonstop in his freetime. 

you knew not to take it personal. 

he continued texting you, sending you memes, and calling you to talk about each others’ days while he gamed. but he kept his distance. 

it wasnt until day 28 that he finally came over. you made dinner and the two of you talked for hours.

shigaraki said he wanted to spend the next two nights at your apartment so that at midnight you two could finally fuck.

after the long hellish month.

after dinner while you two were laying on the couch, you were half asleep when you felt both of your boyfriends big strong calloused hands on both of your boobs.

with your back on his chest and his hands on yours you could feel him bite your neck and then whisper

“all i can ever think about is you. i wanna fuck you so hard i can see the fear in your eyes. i’m going to cover you in bruises so everyone knows youre fucking mine. i am going to fuck your every day of december so hard you won’t be able to walk until february.”

you let out a whimper just at the thought. he started sucking hickies all over your neck. you checked your phone. it was 1 am on november 29th.

“one more day” you whispered as you nuzzled into him.

he groaned into your neck and put you in a headlock.

“im letting you off now, but tomorrow night youre in for it”and with that he let go. 

he picked you up off of him and placed you next to him. he stood up and stretched. exposing just the right amount of midriff. you stared at his lower stomach, he stared at you. 

shigaraki pulled his hoodie then took your jaw in his hand, forcing you to look at him. 

“what are you looking at?” he asked with a smirk. 

you blushed and averted your eyes. 

he laughed and slung you over his shoulder with a grunt. 

“come on its bed time.”

he threw you onto the bed and you passed out. 

when you woke up he had already left for work. 

the day was long. 

you just had to wait until midnight. 

but the minutes felt like hours. 

there was nothing to do. 

well there was work to do but you didnt care for it. 

and shiggy wasnt answering his phone. 

you did just about everything you could think of at work. 

your boss let you off early. 

you went home at lunch, did the laundry, cleaned the floors, mirrors, did the dishes and dusted. 

even after that there was still an hour until shigaraki came over. 

you went on a walk. you so badly wanted to touch yourself but you knew better than that. 

he was already cranky enough. 

he would loose it more than you knew he was about to. 

you walked. picked up coffee. walked back.

it was 5:30 when you arrived back at your apartment complex.

as you walked up the stairs with coffee in hand you prayed he would be there. 

sure enough he was.

in his black slacks and black collared shirt with red vans and his hair messily in his face. you knew he had just taken it out of a bun. he was waiting in your doorway.

you had always found it hilarious that tomura shigaraki of all people worked a desk job.

“i was wondering where you went” he said calmly.

you were not calm.

you set down the coffee and ran up to him. engulfing him in a huge hug.

he was rigid initially, probably confused.

“what?” he asked while he slowly moved to hug you back.

“i don’t know i just missed you” you said, your response muffled due to your face being in his chest.

“uhh let me change first.” he said pulling away.

you hummed in response. 

the day just kept dragging on. 6 hours until midnight.

your nipples tingled while you waited for him.

he came out of your bedroom in jeans and a hoodie, you knew the hoodie because it was your favorite to steal from him.

“now what” you asked as he plopped on the couch next to you.

“why are you so needy today?” he asked not looking up from his phone.

“i just want you” you whispered. being sure to give your boyfriend your big fuck me eyes.

he glared down at you and sighed.

his arms wrapped around your waist and squeezed.

“UHHHHHH. let’s take a nap then go get food”

“okay” you whispered.

you couldn’t sleep. but your boyfriend did and he snored. shigaraki slept like a baby. for a whole 2 and a half hours.

you woke up to him squeezing your waist and inhaling your neck.

“you always smell so good.” he said into your neck.  

the two you went out for ramen bowls.

you were constantly checking the time. it was a little past 9.

your boyfriend was wearing a black hoodie and his hair was a mess from napping.

he made eye contact while slurping. 

he starting eating the noodles with a lot of tongue. 

he put his chopsticks down and put his hand in the bowl. all while holding eye contact. 

“ew tomu stop” you said backing away from him. 

shigaraki took his hand out of the bowl and laughed, whipping it off. 

dinner was a cranky blur. 

shigaraki driving you home was a cranky blur. 

sitting together on the couch while playing mario cart was a cranky blur, 

but the clock read 11:42. 

it was almost time. 

you gulped loudly. 

shigaraki had definitely been waiting for you to notice the time. 

because as soon as you tensed up next to him. he paused the video game and turned on the tv. 

“im bored of this game” he said, his had rubbing up and down your thigh occasionally pinching as your plush skin. 

“your heart is racing” he whispered. 

“ive missed you” he whispered in a calm sweet tone, which he quickly switched demeanors. Tomura Shigaraki liked sex a certain way. 

he took his free hand and pushed your face up to meet his, “youre such a desperate whore. couldnt even wait 30 days for my cock?” 

he pushed your shorts and underwear to the side, running two fingers along your slick. “youve been wetter but luckily i have a whole 13 minutes to excite you.” 

he knew how whispering made you feel. 

shigaraki took the bottom of your chin and forced you to meet his mouth, passionatly kissing but remaining in charged. 

sometimes when he kissed you he would see how much he could get you to submit. 

like today, he started with a normal makeout session, which quickly turned into him holding your face with both hands. he shoved his tongue as far in as he could get it, even going as far as to bite your tongue. 

at this point he had one hand on your face and another around your throat. he backed off the kiss and stood up. you went to look at the time but his hands still firmly planted on your face and neck stopped you. “focus on me.” 

shigaraki forced your mouth open then promptly spit in it. he tapped your cheek with his hand and walked away calling out, “wait for a second and dont swallow the gift i just gave you.”

you sat and waited. all your concentration on not swallowed the glob of his spit on his tongue. 

he came back from the bedroom not soon after, now shirtless. 

“show it to me” he said. 

you stuck your tongue out showing him, “stand” 

you did as you were told, while you were getting up shigaraki grabbed your wrist and spun you so that your back was pressed against his chest, his hands once again found your throat and your face. 

“swallow it slowly, i want to feel it.” 

your eyes darrted to the time. you still had 8 minutes until midnight ended. until november was over. 

you didnt swallow the spit. you squirmed in his grasp and said “make me” 

shigaraki released his grip from you in surprise. you turned around, looking him in the eyes and swallowing the spit. 

his mouth parted and he grabbed a handful of hair, dragging you to the bedroom. “oh you are in for it now, brat.” 

he took you to your bedroom and closed the door, “wait” he said, standing you at the end of the bed. 

he was shirtless but still wearing a watch. 

he checked the time the shoved you onto the bed, he crawled on after, stripping you of your panties and shorts and laying you face down on the bed, you ass up on his lap. 

you begged and pleaded and protested “you never say it but i know you live this shit.” shigaraki leans down to whisper in your ear. he lays a harsh and lloud slap on your ass. 

you could feel the tent in his pants as he kneaded the fat of a cheek then slapped it with his open palm. after a few good hits, he ran his fingers through your folds. from front to bak. back to front.

 2 fingers in your heat. in and out. and in and out. 

a slap on the ass. 

you could feel the tension building in your heat, but you knew shigaraki well enough to know that he wouldnt let you cum. 

a third finger in your hole. pumping and twisting and stretching. you grinded into his fingers. landing you another slap. 

you didnt have to look to know how red your ass was. when he groped you one last time it hurt. 

“wasn’t that a good way to kill time until midnight”

shigaraki said as he pushed you onto the bed so that he could get off. he stood. over you and took his pants off. he then crawled back over to you in just his boxers. 

“come on” he said lightly, trying to get you to sit up. 

“noo it hurts” you whined at shigaraki

“then dont sit on your ass”  he was getting impatient

you knelt in front of him and he pulled off your oversized shirt and unclipped your bra. 

“stand up” he commanded.

you stood up and kicked off your shorts and panties, then promptly jumped onto shigaraki. 

you landed half on him and half on the bed, he squeezed you and rolled the two of you over so that he was on top. 

you whined as your raw butt rubbed against the sheets, promting shigaraki to place a few pillows under your upper back. 

it made a slight difference but you knew that before long you wouldnt even notice the sting. 

“i love seeing you like this” he said, with a hand in his boxers. he pulled out his member, already leaking with precum and guided himself into you. 

you moaned as he entered slowly. once he was all the way in he found your neck and started sucking hickies onto your skin. 

you squirmed, needing friction. “um shig are you gonna?” 

he bit down where he was sucking. “no wait” 

you whined in response. 

both of his hands found your hands, pining you to the bed with intertwined fingers. 

everytime you bucked your hips into him he would bite at your neck. you were probably bleeding but you didnt care and neither did he. 

“shig please i need” you whined while attempting to pull your hands away from his. 

he pulled off of your neck and looked down at you. “need what? need me? you already have me inside of you, needy whore. you waited a whole month and now you cant wait ten fuckin minutes while i mark you up so everyone will know who you belong to? fuckin christ.” 

and with that shigaraki used one hand to pin your wrists together above your head and the other found the now raw skin on your neck. 

he sighed “if this is what you want” and pulled all the way out then slammed back into you. 

bottoming out would be and understatement. you did not want to imagine if you hadnt already been stretched out. with the pace he was going you knew you werent going to be able to walk tommorow or the day after that for that matter. 

his grip on your throat stopped you from being able to call out not that you wanted him to slow down or go any lighter. you had been dreaming of this for an entire month. his balls hitting your red ass at an inhumane speed, his hand on your throat, and his crimson eyes staring into your soul. 

“so fuckin hot. i love when youre like this. nothing makes me harder than the thought of you helpless underneath me.” 

you moved your hands a little, signaling that you wanted him to let go, which he did. you brought one hand up to his hair and another to his back. 

you started rubbing his scalp, making your way down to his shoulders and upper back. doing the opposite with the other hand, scratching his back while working your way up tp his shoulders. 

if he had marked you up, you were going to do the same to him.

he hissed when you broke the skin on his shoulder, but his look of pain quickly turned into a smirk. he took his free hand and shoved two fingers in your mouth, pushing them as far back as he could go. making sure you were drooling all over his hand and yourself. making sure you were gagging around his fingers and still not giving. 

you removed a hand from his back and pulled him from your mouth. 

he laughed the put the fingers in his mouth, licking your spit off. 

he then took that hand down to your clit. shigaraki had one hand on your clit and the other around your neck. 

just how you liked it. 

“dont cum without permission.” shigaraki grunted out. 

“mmmmh” you hummed in response, you had wrapped a hand around his wrist, the one you were wearing like a choker. your other hand was still scratching his back. 

his thrusts were still fast and still powerful, he masterfully hit your gspot just about every time. you listened to his soft grunts and the sound of his balls slapping your ass. it only stung a little.

he must have noticed you zoning out as his long skinny fingers teased over your clit. 

your eyes met his, both your hand found his wrist, “beg” he whispered. 

“p-please sir, ive been dreaming of you for an entire month. i j-just want to cum with you” 

with that his thrusts grew staggered, “we can make that happen” 

you held on to the tension in your lower stomach, waiting for his signal. he continued to rub your clit, he knew exactly where the little bundle of nerves was. he touched it slowly and sensually. it didnt match the pace of his hips because he used much more thought when pleasuring you. 

“i can feel you shaking” he whispered. 

you whimpered. 

“is it okay if i cum in you?” he whispered

you nodded to the best of your ability, his grip on your neck loosening. you still squeezed his arm, being sure to use your fingernails so everyone knew he had a girlfriend. 

he moaned and threw his head up. 

the tension inside of you released. you came around his cock, your walls clenching and releasing over and over, milking his cock. 

while you rode out your high, he came inside of you. moaning dramatically as you whined beneath him. 

he removed his hand from your throat then the hand from your clit and collapsed on top of you. 

both of you heavy breathing. 

“thank you” you whispered while stroking his hair. 

he slowly crawled off of you and stood up. 

“come to the bathroom we gotta get you cleaned up” he said softly. 

“can you help me”  

he picked you up bridal style and carried you to the bathroom, the two of you admired the marks made by each other. he sat and waited while you peed and took a bath. praising you over and over. 

he moved from the toilet seat to sitting on the floor next to you and asked “so do you know what destroy dick december is?”

masterlist

[hrodvitnon]

In the Footsteps of Shamhat Goji Route Preview!

Because it's Nonstop Nut November and it's high time we got into some Grahamzilla goodness!

-------------------------------------------

There's an almost imperceptible sound coming from the water that makes Vivienne all but leap out of her skin; she catches three dorsal spines knifing through the water, shark-circling around her raft — and from just under the surface is a pulsing blue light that colors the surface like an underwater aurora.

Then, just as quickly as they appeared, the spines dive under and the light diminishes.  Vivienne rushes to the edge hoping to find a shadow or something.  Her heart pounds when weight shifts at the other side and slowly turns her head.  There he is, watching her, massive arms folded over the edge of the raft, wonderfully drenched and looking for all the world like a merman popping out of the ocean to say hello.

He blinks and continues to watch, expectantly.  Vivienne swallows hard and prostrates herself.

"Great God Gojira," she stammers.  "I humbly offer myself.  I... I am yours as you see fit."

A beat.

"Do you sing, maiden?" Godzilla asks her, his voice so thunderously deep it rattles her bones; she imagines him between her legs like he was with Mothra and rubs her thighs together.

"A little," Vivienne admits.

"Will you sing for me?"

"What would you like to hear?"

Godzilla's head tilts and his bearded mouth curves into something that's either a small smile or a gentle smirk, his amber gold eyes drifting towards the vulnerable skin of her throat.

"I would hear anything you have to offer me — whether tale or canto, a saucy rhyme or serenade.  Sing to me."

...

Aw, shit.

Of all the times for her brain to go blank it's when thinking up a sea shanty — those things got crazy popular again and they're easy to remember, but Vivienne damns her early-to-mid forties for coming in with blank memory banks, because now everything comes back to the Wellerman.  You can't do a sexy roleplay version of that!  She just hopes it makes Goji laugh; funny is sexy, after all.

Vivienne clears her throat, the opening lines coming out tremulous and soft.  "There once was a ship that put to sea, And the name of the ship was the Billy of Tea..."

Godzilla blinks at her, but his mouth spreads into a big smile, granting her silent encouragement.

"The winds blew up, her bow dipped down, Oh blow, my bully boys, blow..."

Vivienne feels a little more confident going into the chorus, especially now that Godzilla's huge barrel chest is shaking with quiet laughter.  "Soon may the Wellerman come, To bring us sugar and tea and rum, One day when the tonguing is done, We'll take our leave and go!"

Godzilla drums the side of his hand against the raft to give Vivienne a beat to work with, as if playing a bodhrain.  He bobs his head in time and hums along with her, boosting her confidence.

"She'd not been two weeks from shore, When down on her a right whale bore, The captain called all hands and swore—"

"He'd take that whale in tow," Godzilla adds, his already deep voice going full basso profundus and nearly knocking Vivienne off track with how hard the sound hit her.  Her voice comes dangerously close to failing when he joins the chorus, but the depth of Godzilla's register lifts up her much lighter voice.

"Soon may the Wellerman come, To bring us sugar and tea and rum, One day when the tonguing is done, We'll take our leave and go!"

Vivienne keeps going, watching Godzilla's smile turn sly as he swims around the raft, not quite realizing what he's planning until the lyrics hit her teeth.

"Before the boat had hit the water, The whale's tail came up and caught her, All hands to the side, harpooned and FUCK—"

Her heart trebuchets itself into her throat when something from below causes the raft to lurch wildly, nearly capsizing.  Vivienne gasps her lungs full of air in preparation to fall under the surface, and though she hits the water, she's safely held against a massive wall of warmth... and muscle.

"When she dived down low," Godzilla's voice rumbles up from behind her and she can feel his breath misting over her back.  "Soon may the Wellerman come..."  Vivienne shivers, his presence looming over her shoulder, and bites back a whimper.  "To bring us sugar and tea and rum..."  The tips of his fingers turn her chin so she can look him in the face, his eyes reflecting the dim light.  "One day when the tonguing is done..."

His lips cover hers and... her soul itself sings.  It's not like how Rodan kisses her, where his tongue aggressively claims her mouth and teeth nick her lips.  No, Godzilla kisses her with patience and care, knowing all too well how easily he could overtake her or break her, lips finding a rhythm with hers, and with such gentleness that she melts.  The rough texture of his lips, the hints of his sharp teeth, the tickle of his beard and claws running through her hair, the deep chthonic rumble of a sigh escaping his throat, all of it could ignite a blaze of desire inside her, but he keeps the kiss chaste.

The kiss ends with a nearly inaudible smack, and she dreamily opens her eyes to meet his.  Godzilla's face softens as he watches her response; his eyes crinkle in the corners and laugh lines form as his mouth curves into a gentle smile, as if looking at something beautiful.  It's the same look he gives Mothra. 

That's when his eyes begin to glow Cherenkov blue, followed by an aura as if dorsal spines at his back pulse with hypnotic light.  She remembers the harsh vibrations and sudden flashes of that intimidation display when he approached Castle Bravo, but this is different – it's a soft, continuous glow that paints the room with gentle light like an aurora borealis in a magnificent display, and she's pulled to it like a moth to a flame.  She realizes something and her heart bursts.

Bioluminescent displays like this are also used to attract potential mates.

[thatlongspringnight]

A little too much Christmas Spirit (Kenshin/MC)

  My first Christmas prompt request.

Kenshin +24 (You keep playing Christmas music, and it’s driving me nuts, please play something else)

I’m here to deliver your Christmas spirit, anon! <3 Hope you like.

Tagging: @han-pan  and @frywen-babbles (because I know you like Kenshin) and @kojuriffic Feel free to tag anyone else!

“This has got to stop.” Kanetsugu’s strained voice broke your trance. You had been staring off into space, willing your mind to focus on anything really, anything other than the persistent tune of Christmas music.

             “It really does.” You mumbled, looking at the large cedar tree in Kenshin’s office that had appeared, seemingly overnight, completely decorated on the morning of December first.

             “You’re going to have to talk to him.” Kanetsugu nodded to himself, adjusting the fine leather messenger bag over his shoulder.

             “Oh no, I’m not a part of this.” You shook your head. “I belong in design, why don’t you or his secretary-“

             “His personal assistant.” Kanetsugu corrected with a little too much force.

             “Why don’t you or your girlfriend tell him to stop?”

             “You’re the one he goes home with at night.” Kanetsugu stepped over to the door, obviously intent on leaving. “You get to tell him. Now if you excuse me, myself and Kenshin’s lovely personal assistant have to go watch Ai play soccer.”

             Then you were alone.

             But not for long. With a rush of wintery air, your favorite person appeared, a swirl of snow having settled into his hair, his clothes, making him look rather like a beautiful golden retriever.

             The cheery jingle of music rose and fell as he stopped in front of you, his cheery smile echoed on your own face, your reason for being frustrated with him out the door as he swept you up into his arms, pressing a chilled kiss to your forehead. You shivered, but he only pulled you closer, snuggling into you.

“You’re so warm.”

“Well yeah,” You grinned up at him. “I’ve been inside all afternoon.” His eyes sparkling in a warm shade of blue as he grinned back at you. Truly, a Christmas gift to your eyes if there ever was one.

             “I got you a hat.” He spoke in his sing-song voice, almost matching the tune of the song in the background. He set the Santa hat onto your head and suddenly you remembered that you were supposed to be upset with him. You attempted to huff, shaking your head, the white puff on the end of the hat bobbing with your movements.

             “What, don’t you like it? I think you look lovely.” You only pouted in response.

             You liked Christmas, really, you did. As much as every holiday, and you loved the cheer that filled the air, the happy and familiar songs bringing you back to your childhood. But you loved it in moderation.

             Moderation was key.

             What you did not love, and you tried to love it, you really did, was constant Christmas music. Never ending, brain-worm creating, Christmas music.  Jingle bells, holly jolly, baby it is cold outside, never-ending on repeat. An endless stream of carols and Christmas bells. All coming from the general vicinity of one man.

             A man you loved very much.

             Kenshin really did have the Christmas spirit. Said spirit seeming to gain control of his body the moment the clock had struck midnight and November faded into December 1st  And truly you doubted it would leave until the clock struck midnight on the new year. You admired his tenacity, really. His effervescent ability to completely disregard the dirty looks everyone in the office was starting to shoot him, and man, those looks were pretty dirty.

             Kageie had even tried changing the music from Christmas to something, anything else, only to have Kenshin come sweeping through on the breeze, changing it back. Kanetsugu had been the second to attempt to end the madness, hiding the music player to the best of his ability.

             Kenshin had produced a record player from somewhere within the hours, the modern Christmas tunes soon replaced by the jazzy, slower sounds of older Christmas music.

             Kagetsugu tried next, literally dismantling the record player one afternoon when Kenshin was out.

             The next day there were speakers and a fresh new sound system, playing Christmas music with no discernable source.

             A full week of this left you and Kenshin in this situation, alone, in the office, some ultra-oversung cover of ‘I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus’ playing in the background. You scrambled for an idea to make him rethink this whole ‘constant Christmas music’ thing. Finally, it hit you, right as he moved to kiss you on the lips, and you jerked away, leaving him confused, a pout on his face.

             “Nope” You smiled, bopping his nose with your finger. “No kisses for those of us on the naughty list.”

             “What have I done to be on the naughty list” He exclaimed, a look of sullen surprise crossing his face for just a moment, only a second, replaced with his finest attempt at puppy eyes. “I’ve been good, as you know.” That was spoken a little closer to your ear, hot breath designed to tempt you into sin.

             “Oh no, sir.” You replied, straightening the hat you were wearing. “I’ve heard all sorts of accounts of how you’ve been naughty. Naughty enough to not get a single present this year.”

             “Not a single one?” He continued, clearly enjoying whatever little game he thought you were playing.

             “Not a single one.” You concurred. “No kisses, No-“ You swatted at his wandering hand, “touching, nothing until you stop.”

             “Stop what?” His gaze had turned more dubious, you played your final card.

             “Stop the Christmas music.”

             “I can’t do that.” He lamented, shaking his head.

             “You- you can’t do it?”

             “I can’t, it is the best part of the season, you see.” His amused gaze trailed your look of surprise.

             “But-“

             “I guess I’ll miss your kisses.”

             You stared at him, he stared back, neither of you willing to look away and admit defeat. You cursed his stubbornness, and the increasingly loud child chorus seeing glory to the newborn king in the background.

             “You keep playing this Christmas music, and it’s driving me nuts, please play something else.” Finally, you broke, groaning, putting your face into your hands. “Anything else, not even all day, but I need a break.” You could hear him laughing, like the soft bells from the music in the background.

             “Oh, that’s all?” He teased, his voice light and airy. “You look so distraught,.” 

“Kenshin!” 

“If it puts me back on the nice list, maybe I can change it up.”

           “You promise.” You looked up with excitement only to find yourself nose to nose with him.

             “Only if we can seal the deal with a kiss.”

-The next Day-

“Why is my office still playing Christmas music nonstop?” Kanetsugu groaned, his head thumping as he leaned against the paperwork. When he had arrived to work, the silence had been a blessing, a short-lived blessing as he had walked into his office, greeted by the now-too-familiar sounds of the holiday season. “I swear, Kenshin. One of these days.”

[gettingagriponthings]

Reading Through 2019 (Part 2)

The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood (1985, 395 pages) I found a really cool used copy of this book on a trip to my favorite used bookstore, McKay’s, and picked this up along with a haul of 6 or 7 other books and tore into this one first. Atwood’s prose is excellent, and though simply and cleanly written, was vibrantly visual to me. Not surprised at the success the Hulu series adapted from this book has had. I was excited to learn about the impending release of the book’s sequel, The Testaments (over three decades in the making), shortly after I finished reading this. Though it is now older, The Handmaid’s Tale felt shockingly contemporary to me.

The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court, by Bob Woodward & Scott Armstrong (1979, 576 pages) This book contained a few enlightening details about the inner workings of The Court, but it was hard to take some of the details as credible. If you’re a SCOTUS nut, or if you have a particular interest in one of the cases detailed in this I’m sure this is a must read, but if you are a relatively casual observer, The Nine is a better usage of your time.

The Stand, by Stephen King (1978, 817 pages) My mother read this book back in the 70s when it came out and I enjoyed talking about the different parts of the story with her as I read through it. King is a favorite of mine, and he went all out in this horrific and sweeping epic. The story begins with an insanely powerful and effective “superbug” that wipes out 99%+ of the US population and ends with a battle between the very essences of light and dark. It’s a huge book, but a good one for Fall when settling in with horror is just the right ticket.

“Shall I tell you what sociology teaches us about the human race? I’ll give it to you in a nutshell. Show me a man or woman alone and I’ll show you a saint. Give me two and they’ll fall in love. Give me three and they’ll invent the charming thing we call “society”. Give me four and they’ll build a pyramid. Give me five and they’ll make one an outcast. Give me six and they’ll reinvent prejudice. Give me seven and in seven years they’ll reinvent warfare. Man may have been made in the image of God, but human society was made in the image of His opposite number, and is always trying to get back home.”

The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game, by Michael Lewis (2007, 352 pages) My third Michael Lewis book of the year. You’ve seen the movie, but the book is worth your time. The incredible story of Michael Oher is compelling, but it’s the story of the evolution of the game of football from the perspective of the left tackle that is really special.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE, by Phil Knight (2016, 400 pages) Another candidate for read of the year for me. This book had it all: international travel and adventure, sports and the pursuit of athletic greatness, a bit of pop culture and music, and one of the very best accounts of an entrepreneurial journey that I’ve read. A truly inspiring book.

Past Tense: A Jack Reacher Novel, by Lee Child (2018, 487 pages) Lee Child is an underrated master of his genre. If you’ve read a Jack Reacher book before you know what I’m talking about. There are no particularly witty turns of phrase, no surprisingly intricate sentence structure that actually mirrors the overall structure of the book, and no introspective character development that causes you to understand yourself a bit better after reading the book. Just nonstop action and fun, like every other Jack Reacher novel.

Working: Research, Interviewing, Writing, by Robert Caro (2019, 231 pages) Robert Caro might be the Lee Child of Biography (there’s one sentence that you won’t get ANYwhere else!) No, he doesn’t put out a new book each year (Caro’s only published five major works and takes between 8 and 12 years to finish each one). He’s not underrated (he’s won two pulitzer prizes). And his books are not just nonstop action and fun (Caro’s books are fantastically wide-ranging and include detailed digressive histories on particular topics that rival some single issue books for depth). What I mean is that Caro is a master of his genre, and Working is so fascinating because here he steps out of his typical role and gives the reader a peak into his process and several pieces of his personal history. Another read of the year candidate for me.

The Golden Passport: Harvard Business School, the Limits of Capitalism, and the Moral Failure of the MBA Elite, by Duff McDonald (2017, 672 pages) The Golden Passport is essentially a sequel to McDonald’s 2013 book The Firm: The Story of McKinsey and Its Secret Influence on American Business. Together the books form a pretty powerful indictment against the business, political, and academic governing elite. The Golden Passport describes the way in which the world has been HBS MBA’ified and and how that has fooled us all into playing along with a game that leaves the world with fewer morals but more PowerPoint presentations. Amazing details and a powerful message, but maybe a bit long?

Doctor Sleep, by Stephen King (2013, 544 pages) I rushed through this one a bit to complete it before going to see the Doctor Sleep (sequel to The Shining) movie in theaters in November. Classic King, Doctor Sleep blends the supernatural and the ordinary in a compelling fashion. A couple of truly horrific scenes in this one.

Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code, by Ruha Benjamin (2019, 172 pages) A book I read for work that touches on many of the issues that I’ve had the honor of dealing with directly. Data, maybe the most commercially valuable resource in today’s economic system, is captured at an alarming (and underestimated) rate and is increasingly weaponized against those who it is often supposedly helping. Particularly vulnerable are those who are already more vulnerable to predation and oppression, and the automated systems of the present and the future are only reinforcing the biased systems of the past. This book does an elegant and persuasive job of breaking down just what those systems are and showing us what we can do to fight back. Read of the year shortlist selection.

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon, by Brad Stone (2013, 384) Amazon started with the kernel of an idea for an “everything store” at the quantitative hedge fund D.E. Shaw where Bezos worked before venturing to Seattle to try and make it happen in the early 1990s. This book is completely unrivaled in its depiction of the business and especially of the mind of Jeff Bezos. Fascinating and thought provoking, The Everything Store inspired me to write a post (still a work in progress) imagining what it might mean if Amazon actually achieved their mission to “build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson (2013, 336 pages) I had the pleasure of meeting Bryan Stephenson in my office in 2016 and got to speak to him briefly before listening to an extended conversation he had with my boss. He’s someone who I appreciate as a modern day civil rights and justice icon. I bought Just Mercy for my dad for Christmas two years ago, but hadn’t read it myself. I thought I understood this book. I did, to a degree. But the experience of actually sitting down to read it, feeling the crippling weight of injustice experienced by the people detailed inside, and being forced to see, in full relief, what modern, systemic oppression looks like is worth more than the few hours it took to consume Just Mercy. Another read of the year selection for me. Really excited about the movie coming out in January!

“Proximity has taught me some basic and humbling truths, including this vital lesson: Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. My work with the poor and the incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.”

The TLDR Version:

Number of Books Completed: 25

Shortest Book: Race After Technology (172 pages) 

Longest Book: The Stand (817 pages)

Total Pages Read: 10,437

Oldest Book: One L (January 1, 1977)

Newest Book: Race After Technology (July 9, 2019)

Favorite Reads of the Year: Race After Technology, Working, Shoe Dog, The Right Stuff, Just Mercy, The Stand